"But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our Peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:5-6
The Blood
By: Hugh Henry Snell
From: The Christian, Volume 7 (2011)
Surely it is in the cross that God sets forth the atoning blood. There it was, by the death of His Son, that God reconciled us unto Himself. If we look at some New Testament scriptures, we shall see that we have remission of sins by the blood, justification by the blood, peace by the blood, nearness to God in Christ by His blood, we worship on the ground of the blood, and we shall enter into glory because of the value of blood.
Remission of Sins by the Blood
The divine testimony that
“without shedding of blood is no remission” (Heb. 9:22)
shows the impossibility of forgiveness of sins except through the blood. God cleanses us on the ground of sin having been judged and put away, and Christ declares that His blood was shed for many for the remission of sins. He bore our sins in His own body on the tree; thus justice was satisfied, and sins were purged. In Him
“we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Eph. 1:7).
The blood, then, is that which gives remission of sins.
Justification by the Blood
Men may succeed in justifying themselves before their fellow-men, but we cannot justify ourselves before God. He knows that we are all guilty and unrighteous. But the Scriptures teach us that those who believe in the Lord Jesus are justified and that they are justified from all things by Him. In the blood, God declares that He is just and the Justifier of him that believes in Jesus. God justifies us through the blood, for the blood of Jesus not only tells us of sin put away, but also of One who was perfectly obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, so that, by the obedience of One, many are made righteous. Therefore we are also told that
“being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”
Peace by the Blood
Peace with God is only through the precious blood of Christ. It was nothing less than the death of Christ that satisfied God’s justice, and therefore that only pacifies the conscience. This is why the Holy Spirit so often uses those texts which refer to the blood of Christ to give peace to anxious souls. It is an already accomplished peace, and God is now preaching peace by Jesus Christ, not peace by ordinances, duties and the like, but peace by Jesus Christ. All who simply look to Christ and know that they are justified by His blood have peace with God. Why do many anxious souls not have peace? Because they do not believe what God says about the value of the sacrifice of Christ. They look to themselves to see if their experience is good enough, bad enough, or religious enough, but the end of looking to experience for peace must be disappointing. When they look simply to the Lord Jesus, who shed His blood to save sinners, they find peace.
Nearness to God by the Blood
Our sins separated us from God. By nature we were far from God, but now in Christ and through His blood we are made nigh — brought to the Father’s bosom. Thus the believer stands forgiven and blessed in God’s holy presence; thus he is sanctified by the blood of Christ, reconciled unto God, and stands in happy confidence and grace before Him in love.
Worship on the Ground of the Blood
We enter into the holiest
“by the blood of Jesus”
and worship the Father. In ourselves there is no ground of praise and thanksgiving, but everything to make us abhor ourselves and repent in dust and ashes. The blood so fully witnesses to us of the Father’s love and of our eternal redemption and peace that we praise and magnify the unsearchable riches of divine grace. Our consciences are purged, our hearts gladdened, our minds in peace, our souls lifted up, so that we are ready to say,
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 1:3).
Glory Because of the Blood
We are purchased by the blood of Jesus. Had not the “corn of wheat” fallen into the ground and died, it would have been alone, but having died, it brings forth much fruit. All believers are the fruit of Christ’s death, are washed in His blood, and will share Christ’s throne in heaven — brought there solely on the ground of the blood of the Lamb. Then we shall sing more sweetly (but not more truly than we can now),
“Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Rev. 1:5‑6).
H. H. Snell, adapted
*Photo by Ridderhof on Pixabay
*Photo by Ridderhof on Pixabay
